Heartbeat
by Machiavellian42
Summary: Ron's snogging Lav Lav, Harry's snogging Ginny, and Pansy Parkinson is an annoying stalker. Draco and Hermione find comfort and maybe even love in each other. Mostly cannon, takes place during 6th year,
1. Heartbeat

**Just a Dramione one shot I couldn't get out of my head. I might make it into a story if enough people like it. All Pansy lovers, stay away. I know, I love her too, but for the purposes of this story, she's annoying.**  
**Takes place during 6th year, and I'm pretending there's a yule ball then, because I CAN. So basically Harry and Ginny are off in superloverparadise land together and Ron's snogging Lav Lav and so Hermione is all ANGSTNOONELOVESME. And so our story beings. (:**

ps- Anything you recognize isn't mine. (duh)  
**xxx **

"It's only eight o'clock Draco!" giggled Pansy Parkinson seductively. "I'm sure you can wait another hour or two!" Hermione groaned. Harry was with Ginny, she had lost Ron forever, and now she had to listen to Draco and Pansy do who-knows-what in what used to be a deserted corridor. Needless to say, this year's Yule ball was not exactly going as planned. She could hear their footsteps as they came closer to the empty classroom she was in, Pansy's heels clicking on the concrete.

"This can't wait." said Draco flatly. Hermione wiped her tears on her sleeve and snuck towards the door, hoping she could get out of earshot before they did anything really dirty. She peered through the dusty glass to see if she could possibly creep out without them seeing, but they were standing together only a few doors down from where she was, making escape impossible.

"We need to talk Pansy."

"Can't we talk later?" Hermione heard her whine, sticking out her lip and leaning on the tall pale boy.

"You are driving me completely insane." He said to her, backing up a step.

"I know..." She purred, stepping towards him and placing his hands on her chest. Hermione watched, disgusted. How anyone could stand that girl, she had no idea.

"I'm serious Pansy!" He said, pushing her away from him. "That is exactly what I'm talking about!"

"If you're not in the mood tonight, that's ok, but why did you go with me to the Yule Ball?" She asked incredulously, her bottom lip trembling.

"I didn't want to go with you! You're the one who dragged me here!" He said, fury creeping into his voice.

"Draco!" She said, moving to put her arms around him again. "You don't mean that! We can just go back inside the dance, and pretend this never happened."

"No. It's over. I'm tired of you clinging onto my arm everywhere I go, and simpering over me like you're my mum, and how I have to do all of your homework for you 'cause you're too much of a dumb ass to do it yourself..." He trailed off, leaving Pansy in what seemed to be a state of complete shock. She stared at Draco with her mouth open, as if she were truly at a loss for words. Hermione watched enthralled, as Pansy's dark eyes hardened and she stumbled backward as it finally got through her thick skull what was happening.

"You'll be sorry Draco Malfoy. I'm going to make you so sorry." She said dangerously, reaching down to pull a heel off of her foot. Pansy swung her arm back and hurled the strappy pink shoe at him before hitching up her pink frilly mess of a dress and running down the corridor, leaving the other shoe in her wake.

Draco dodged the projectile easily and whirled around. He strode toward the door Hermione was hiding behind, causing her to scurry into one of the dark corners. 'Guess I'm not the only one getting my heart broken tonight.' She thought to herself, causing a new waterfall of salty tears to coarse down her cheeks.

The door slammed open and Draco walked in muttering darkly to himself. He stopped in a patch of silvery moonlight, which glimmered off of his white-blond hair and made his pointed face look even gaunter than usual. He wasn't unattractive, Hermione conceded, though evidently looks weren't everything.

Suddenly, he swung his fist back and punched a globe sitting on the desk, causing it to ricochet off and hit the wall with a crash. Hermione yelped, then slapped her hand over her mouth, hoping he hadn't heard it.

"What was that?" He asked, whipping out his wand. "Lumos." The room was flooded with blue light, and she cringed as Draco's eyes found hers. "Get out." he said coldly. "Now."

She sniffed wiping her eyes. "No. I wont leave. I was here first."

"At least stop crying." He said with a scowl. "You have no right."

"What do you mean I have no right?" Hermione practically screeched. "Ron has made it completely clear he wants nothing to do with me, everyone thinks I'm a stupid mudblood, and my best friend is too caught up in Ginny to care about me and-" Hermione suddenly realized who she was taking to, and clammed up immediately.

"Oh how sad. You have it good. You're the best in the class, you're beautiful, your parents love you... You're part of the Golden Trio for god's sake!"

"Well I'd sure like to hear what gives you the right to smash up a globe and then kick me out! Did the Slytherin prince break a nail? I thought you were happy to be rid of Pansy!"

"You really want to know why I have more right to be moping around here than you do?" He asked, glaring at her menacingly. "Have you ever had to perform deeds for the Dark Lord? Do your parents believe that the Cruciatus curse is an appropriate form of punishment? Do you have to avoid your common room as to not be raped by Pansy Parkinson even though you've broken up with her seven times?"

Draco knew he should have stopped talking long ago and just hexed the mudblood until she left. He also knew that he didn't want to stop, the words that he had never dared to speak pouring out of his mouth. He couldn't stop, his deepest secrets begging to be let out. "Do you have a Dark Mark you don't even want on your arm? Has the Dark Lord threatened to kill you and your family if you don't kill Dumbledore, even though everyone knows you're going to die if you try?"

His words hung in the air between then, and the silence was almost tangible. Draco sank to the floor and put his face into his hands, as if he had nothing left to hold himself up with.

Hermione felt her heart go out to the blond boy, and she slowly got up and walked over to him. "Draco?" she whispered, sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry."

"Save it. I don't want your pity." He said, his voice devoid of all emotion.

Hermione didn't know what to do. Half of her ached to throw her arms around Draco. He looked so forlorn sitting on the floor next to her, his usual smugness nowhere to be found. The other part of her was afraid he would push her away for being a muggleborn. Besides, six years of teasing at the hands of him and his band of Slytherins didn't just go away.

So she just sat next to him, listening the faint strains of music coming from the great hall where the rest of the school was happily dancing the night away.

He raised his head to look at her, his gray eyes huge and slightly wet. Draco Malfoy, crying? Hermione could barely believe her eyes.

"You're still here." he said softly. It wasn't an accusation, only a statement of fact, as if he couldn't quite believe she hadn't left him in the empty classroom.

"Yes." She replied, the tears on her face mirroring his own. Hermione slowly leaned over to Draco and tentatively wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened for a few moments, before disentangling his own arms and wrapping them around her.

"Don't touch me you stupid mudblood." He whispered, pulling her closer to his chest.

The logical part of Hermione was screaming to let go of Draco and run away as fast as she could, but she tuned it out. There would be plenty of time for running away later, and she couldn't bring herself to let go just yet.

She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in his dress robes, listening to his hearbeat, in an effort to forget the earlier events of that night.

He was warm through the thin fabric of his dress shirt, impossibly warm. She placed her head gently on his shoulder, closing her eyes against the silver moonlight.

The logical part of Draco's brain was having thoughts similar to that of Hermione's. He shuddered slightly imagining his father's disbelief and fury if he ever found out that Draco had even come in such close contact with a mudblood. He shook the thought from his head and rested his chin on her shoulder. He could feel her heartbeat through his shirt and he concentrated on it's steady pulse as the two sat together on the cool floor.

Her hair smelled nice, he noticed, like flowers. Pansy had always doused herself in enormous amounts of vanilla perfume, but this was different, better somehow. He wanted to bottle it up so he'd have it forever.

They stayed in that position for a long time, each drowned in their own miseries, when Draco finally pulled away and stood up.

"Come on. I'm going to bed." He helped her up as well, and they walked slowly down the hall, neither speaking. The Yule Ball wouldn't end for another hour of so, and the winding passages of Hogwarts were deserted.

"Night Granger." He said with a small smile as they reached the place where theirs paths split. She realized she'd never actually seen him smile sincerely before. It was a definite improvement.

"Night Malfoy." she replied, smiling back. Even after tonight he was still Mafoy, and she was still Granger. Some things would never change.

She felt as if her legs were made of lead as she trudged up the stairs, heels in hand. Suddenly a thought struck her and she stopped dead. He said I was beautiful. _Draco Malfoy_ said I was beautiful. Hermione whirled, and looked down the staircase. The Slytherin boy was already gone.

**Please review. Review and I'll be your friend forever!**


	2. The 7th Floor

**I'd like to start by thanking everyone who reviewed. YOU. ARE. AWESOME. So here it is. I got my lazy ass in gear and made another chapter. It's not quite as good as the first, but I did my best.**

**Oh, and special thanks to Silvanesti, whose message caused me to not get my Math homework done in favor of finishing this chapter. (:  
****xxx **

The next morning was definitely not one of Hermione's better ones. She'd been woken up a minute prior by Lavender Brown as she snuck into the dorm still in her dress from last night, her hair mussed. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she'd been doing.

Lavender had promptly shaken Parvati awake and the two had begun giggle conferencing in earnest. Hermione was debating if a unforgivable curse would be appropriate for the situation.

After about five minutes of such torture, Hermione'd had enough. Throwing off the covers she went to to her dresser, throwing on the first pair of sweatpants she could find. Parvati and Lavender, realizing she was awake, abruptly stopped talking. Hermione flashed them the biggest, brightest smile she could, before fleeing to the bathroom. She was going to have to ask Ginny if she could move into the 5th year dorm. She wasn't sure she could survive much longer in hers.

Alone in the bathroom, Hermione tried to make sense of last night. To be honest, she wasn't even positive it had even happened. Draco Malfoy, holding her, telling her she was beautiful? It must have been something she drank.

Pulling the bobby pins from her bun she let her hair fall down her bare neck. It had held up fairly well from the night before, it seemed that Sleekeasy's 48 Hour Hair Formula was holding up to its name.

Her makeup seemed equally untouchable and no matter how much she scrubbed it didn't seem to want to come off. Perhaps she'd been a bit too enthusiastic in charming it onto her face. Shrugging, she left the bathroom and entered the common room. She was about to sit on the couch with a book when her stomach growled.

Oh right, food. Food was good.

The Great Hall, when she got there, was bustling with students in various states of undress. The morning after the Yule Ball was generally a dress code optional day. The Slytherins all took advantage of this and wore the sluttiest outfits they owned. Pansy appeared to be in nothing more than a tight lacy camisole and booty shorts. It was almost enough to make Hermione run all the way back to the Gryffindor common room screaming.

She tried not to look at the Slytherin table. No one wanted to see Crabbe and Goyle shirtless. She had almost made it to a safe zone when a drawling voice caught her attention. "Granger."

It was Malfoy, looking impeccable and untouchable as always. She didn't know what she'd been expected. After last night shouldn't he have been different somehow? That boy she'd hugged, he had been different.

Hermione put on her best glare, turning to face him. "What do you want Malfoy?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Well I'm listening."

He looked at her as if she'd been dropped as a child. "In private, obviously."

"No. I'm not going anywhere private with you, Malfoy."

"Afraid you'll finally break down, unable to resist my charms and devastating good looks?" He smirked, raising a single eyebrow, causing the entire female population of the Slytherin table to sigh.

"Not even close."

Draco let out a grievous sigh, striding over to where Hermione stood, grabbing her by the wrist. "Come on Granger. Hallway. Now." And suddenly Hermione found herself being dragged into the empty corridor by the Slytherin Prince Himself.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, pulling her wrist out of his grasp. "What do you want?"

"Last night." He said simply. He looked down at his feet, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Hermione could barely believe her eyes, was Draco Malfoy _nervous_?

"What about it?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you did."

"Can't we just forget about it?" Hermione asked. She felt oddly self conscious about being alone in a hallway with Malfoy. It was like being in a cage with a lion, or rather, a snake.

"No. Obviously not." Draco replied, sounding a bit peeved.

"Draco I'm starving. Can't we talk about this later?"

Draco took a few steps closer to her, and Hermione realized that sometime during the last minute she'd ended up pressed against a wall. "No. We can't."

"Leave me alone." She tried to dart away from him, but he caught her by the wrist.

"I won't." Moving like a viper he pulled her closer, pressing his muscled body against her softer one.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, her face pressed against his neck. When had he gotten so tall?

"I don't know." He whispered, his breathing ragged. Hermione felt terrified, and knew her heart was pounding much harder than it should have been. "I have no idea what I'm doing anymore."

"Draco please-"

"What the devil is going on in here?" Hermione jumped about a foot in the air, and shoved herself away from Draco. Draco turned to

Severus Snape, his face cold and cordial, expression giving away none of his feelings.

"Nothing, professor. Granger was just asking me about her arithmacy homework. The poor girl just can't seem to understand calculus charms." He drawled, an easy smile on his angelic face.

Snape nodded. "Of course. Carry on. Mrs. Granger, try not to bother Mr. Malfoy." And he strode off in a whirl of black robes, leaving the two alone in the hall once more.

Hermione was a bit affronted. "You know very well that I understand calculus charms perfectly well. And I wasn't the one being bothered!" She said, crossing her arms over his chest.

"Well Snape doesn't know that does he?" He replied, leaning up against the stony wall. He reached out suddenly, grabbing her by the hand before she could think of a witty riposte. "Come on, I want to show you something."

"Draco I still haven't had breakfast!"

He pretended not to hear her. "Come on."

Seven flights of stairs later, they emerged in a seventh floor corridor. Hermione was pondering if there was any way she could possibly summon some of the scrambled eggs off of the Gryffindor table seven floors below.

"Draco where are we going?" She asked exasperatedly a minute later as they turned down another empty corridor. She wished desperately he wasn't holding her hand. It made everything so much more difficult.

"One second." He relinquished his grip and began pacing back and forth, muttering under his breath.

Just as Hermione was about to ask him what exactly he thought he was doing, there was a metallic scraping sound and a pair of thick metal doors appeared in the concrete. He turned to her, a small, hopeful smile on his face.

"What's that?" She asked, stepped up to get a closer look.

He put a hand on the handle, swinging the door open. "Hermione Granger, welcome to the Room of Hidden Things."

**xxx**  
**TADAA! Reviews make me want to write more. Mull that one over. **


	3. The Room of Hidden Things

**Hello! So this is a pretty short chapter and for that I apologize. I hope to make up for it in the next one. Thankyou SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed or favorited, you guys are the best! Anyway, enjoy!**  
**xxx **

"Draco, what is this place?" Hermione asked, stepping through the doors into the room beyond. It was a grand space, with a tall arcing ceiling that reached high above their heads. The room itself was filled with every sort of thing you could possibly imagine, and Hermione was pretty sure she could even see a kitchen sink.

"The Room of Hidden Things. I found it last year when I needed a place to hide from Pansy." Draco replied, following her inside and closing the door behind him.

"But this is impossible! It's not in Hogwarts, A History!"

Draco nodded, sitting down in a large red armchair. "I know, that's what I thought too. I think it's unplottable."

"Wait, you've read Hogwarts, A History?" Asked Hermione disbelievingly, trying not to let her excitement show on her face. Neither Ron nor Harry would touch the book no matter how many times she nagged them. She couldn't hate someone who could reference her favorite book, could she?

Draco waved her off. "Hasn't everyone?"

"I suppose so." Hermione replied quietly, taking a seat on a set of cabinets. "Draco?"

"Yes?" He drawled, looking up at her from beneath a fringe of pale blond hair.

"Why did you bring me here?"

He paused, pondering the question before he spoke. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to... to show you. I like it here. It's, I don't know, safe I guess."

Hermione nodded slowly, not knowing how to respond. Never in all her years at Hogwarts had she heard Malfoy sound unsure of himself. She was beginning to realize a few things, the first thing being that she didn't really know Draco Malfoy at all. She looked over at him, allowing her eyes to see something more than the Muggleborn hating prat she always had.

He was attractive, in a pale, pointed sort of way. Not ferrety, just sharp, all angles. He was tall, even taller than Harry, with a muscular seeker's build and the lithe grace of a cat. She could see why half of her house found him attractive. He had his eyes closed and was lounged on the armchair, a serene expression on his face. It looked odd on him, as used as she was to his smirk.

"You're staring at me." He drawled without even opening his eyes. "Aren't you."

Hermione quickly adverted her gaze, feeling her face color. "No I'm not."

"But you were." He opened his eyes, fixing her with his steely gray ones. A small smile crept across his lips. "It's okay. I don't mind."

Hermione stood up quickly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Malfoy, I really should go. I haven't eaten breakfast and-"

He raised an pale eyebrow. Hermione got the unpleasant feeling that he could read every single conflicting emotion on her face and was enjoying it immensely. How was it that he could make her feel so awkward? What was she, some bumbling first year? "Granger what's wrong with just sitting here? Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Draco be serious. I can't _hang out_ with you. It pretty much goes against everything we've done since we got to this school!" Hermione threw her hands in the air, trying and failing to keep her exasperation off her face. Draco couldn't just waltz into her life like this. She wasn't going to let him.

"Why not?" He asked her seriously, sitting up and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Because! Harry, we, because, it just wouldn't work!"

He made a disapproving noise. "And you think purebloods are prejudiced."

"But that's different." Hermione protested, determined not to lose the upper hand. Still, she had to admit he had raised a valid point. Sure the Slytherins weren't the nicest kids in the school, but the rest of the school wasn't particularly nice to them either.

He stood up, straightening his tie. "Sure it's different." He stretched his arms above his head, smiling like someone who knew just how attractive he was. The boy had an ego the size of a whale.

"You deserve all you get. You're all a bunch of bullies" Hermione repeated with more conviction than she felt. Hermione Granger was not the kind of girl to back down, not even from Draco Malfoy.

Draco took a confident step toward her, leaning until their noses nearly touched. He parted his lips slightly and Hermione could feel his warm breath on her mouth. Hermione wasn't sure where to look. She couldn't look down at his lips, but if she looked away he'd know she was nervous. She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Steeling herself, she met his gaze head on. "You think on that Hermione, and we can continue out little verbal sparring match during potions tomorrow. I'll save you a seat." And with a teasing wink, he whirled around and left, leaving Hermione wondering what on Earth had just happened.

'He better not make a habit of this.' She muttered darkly, striding out after him. 'Or I may have to kill someone.'

**xxx**  
**Oh Hermione, you can't win an argument with Draco Malfoy. (: Please review, I really appreciate it!**


	4. The Mark

**TADAA! MORE WRITING! I do hope you enjoy it, since it's taken me far longer than it should have. Anyway, thankyou SO MUCH to everyone who reviewed. You guys are the sweetest.  
****xxx **

Potions class was not one of Hermione's favorite subjects on a good day. On a bad day? Lets just say she'd rather fight a hippogriff with both hands tied behind her back.

The hallway by the potions classroom was crowded with students running to their respective classes but Hermione was in absolutely no hurry. Still, there was only so long you could loiter in the hallway, and she didn't want to be late. She didn't have the time-turner anymore, she couldn't just dilly dally all she wanted.

The classroom was already crowded when she entered, but Slughorn hadn't come in yet, so students were sitting, talking, and generally causing mayhem. Hermione smiled at their antics and turned to go to her seat. What she saw made her stop in her tracks.

In her spot, Ron and Lavender seemed to be trying to devour each others faces. In. Her. Spot. Hermione blanched, balling her fists up. Next to them Harry sat, looking uncomfortable. He tried to catch her eye but she turned before he could, marching over to a table in the back and slamming her books down on it's scratched wood.

Hermione yanked her potions book out of her bag and slammed it on the table, crossing her arms over her chest. This was ridiculous. How could Ron do this? With that stupid slut! Didn't he know how she felt about him? She closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the image that was currently seared on the back of her eyelids.

Hermione wasn't sure what to think anymore. She'd thought she'd loved Ron. But then again she'd thought he'd loved her too. She wasn't sure about anything anymore.

Above her, someone cleared their throat pointedly. "Excuse me? This seat taken, Granger?" Said a familiar drawling voice. _Oh fabulous_, thought Hermione opening her eyes, _As if this couldn't get any more confusing._

"No. If you want it it's yours." She replied sullenly, flipping open her book and turning to the page written on the chalkboard. Draco Malfoy sat down, pulling out his own book and opening it. He didn't look at her or say anything, just began reading as if he hadn't attacked her in a hallway or dragged her into a secret room only a week before. To say that Hermione didn't understand him at all would be a monstrous understatement.

She was still trying to figure out how to start up a conversation when Pansy came slinking up to the table. "Draco, darling. Why don't you come sit with me." She leaned over, giving both of them a less than enjoyable view of her cleavage.

A look of faint disgust passed over his features, which he quickly covered with a mask of cool indifference. "I'm fine right here actually."

"Next to miss mudblood? Really? Way to downgrade." She curled her lip at Hermione, before turning back to him, a pout on her face.

He raised his eyebrows, leaning back in his chair. "I think you should look up downgrade, Pansy. I think you have the wrong definition."

She looked confused. "No. I don't think so. Anyway, are you coming to sit by me?" She leaned closer to him until she was nearly on the desk.

"Get of the desk, Pansy." Said Hermione quietly, all her anger and exasperation dangerously close to bubbling to the surface.

Pansy hopped on the desk, laughing unkindly. "Look! Miss Mudblood speaks. What'd you say, bitch?"

Hermione turned to her, a dangerous look in her eyes "I said, get off the desk."

Pansy matched her glare. "Honey, I don't know why you're sitting next to my boyfriend, but you need to fuck off, okay?"

"He isn't your boyfriend!" Hermione said, standing up, all the anger and exasperation she'd been feeling overflowing like a volcano. "He doesn't like you, now get the hell of the desk and leave the rest of us alone, okay?"

For about twenty seconds Pansy just stood there, and incredulous look on her face. "Fine, bitch. But this is _not_ over." She flounced off back to the group of Slytherins huddled in the corner.

Hermione sat slowly back into her chair, trying to ignore the curious stares of her classmates. She didn't know what had come over her, but she plenty sure that she wanted nothing more to sink into the floor.

She turned, to see Draco Malfoy staring at her with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and what looked a lot like awe. "What?" She snapped at him.

"Nothing." He turned back to his book, a small smile on his delicate features.

Hermione opened her mouth to press him, but at that moment Slughorn entered the classroom. "In you seats please, all of you! Everyone open to page 142. Read the page and and complete the potion. Bring a vial up to my desk when you're done."

She sighed, looking down at her book and reading the curling black writing at the top.

'Befuddlement Draught," it read. 'A type of potion which causes the drinker to become belligerent and reckless.' She read over the instructions. It was a fairly simple potion, something she was immensely grateful for. She wasn't sure she could concentrate properly sitting next to Draco and his impeccable distracting skills.

About twenty minutes later, the entire room was filled with the warm fumes of lovage and mint. Hermione's potions was coming along quite well, though judging from Lavender's admiring squeals, Ron and Harry were doing just fine by themselves. It was the Half Blood Prince's damn book. She was of half a mind to turn them in for cheating. They certainly deserved it.

She clenched her teeth in frustration, stirring her potion vigorously. There was a light sheen of sweat forming on her forehead and she took a moment to pull her curly mop of hair back and roll up her sleeves. The dungeons were usually cold, and yet Hermione found she was overheated. She looked over at Draco, and noticed he was still wearing his jacket, his sleeves rolled down over his hands.

"Draco aren't you hot? It must be ninety degrees in here."

"No." He replied, not even pausing to look at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He snapped. "I'm fine, ok?"

"Fine." She muttered, magicking a bit of her potion into a vial and bringing it up to Slughorn.

"Oh hello Hermione." Slughorn greeted her cheerfully as she handed over the vial. "Excellent work, excellent."

"Thankyou." She managed a weak smile before returning to her seat, taking the long way as to not have to look at her former best friends. So much for being part of the Golden Trio.

She sat down on her stool, opening her battered copy of Hogwarts, a History to pass the time. Two minutes later, she hadn't read more than a paragraph. It was too noisy and distracting in the classroom, she couldn't concentrate. Besides that, she was worried about Draco. She didn't think she'd ever seen his cheeks so pink. He looked like he was going to pass out.

"Draco?" She asked quietly. "Are you sure you're ok?"

He whirled on her. "Granger, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"You know I do feel a bit ill." He said with a glare. He raised his hand, adopting in a injured tone. "Slughorn I'm not feeling well. Do you mind if I go see Madam Pomfrey?"

Slughorn looked up. "Of course, of course. Who would like to accompany Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing?"

Pansy's hand shot up faster than even Hermione Granger thought possible. "I'll take him, sir."

Slughorn completely ignored her. "Granger, you're done, why don't you take him."

_No. No way am I voluntarily going into an empty hallway with Draco Malfoy. No way. _"Yes, sir."

"Quickly, Granger." Malfoy said snidely, shouldering his bag. "We don't want me keeling over do we?"

Hermione scowled, picking up her bag and following him out into the pleasant coolness of the hall. He strode ahead of her, taking turn after turn. "Malfoy the infirmary isn't this way!" She protested as he turned up a staircase.

"I know. I'm not sick, Granger. I'm not going."

He certainly looked sick. He was still as attractive as ever, but in the week since Hermione had last seen him, his eyes had become even more sunken, and his skin taken on a grayish pallor. He looked like something was eating away at him.

"You look sick."

He whirled. "Excuse me? I look just fine."

"No you don't." She said quietly, suddenly afraid he was going to do something rash. "You look ill. And tired. Like you haven't slept in days."

The mask of anger fell from his face, and was replaced by a sort of vulnerability and fear that Hermione had never seen before. "I haven't."

"I don't understand you, Draco Malfoy." She sighed. "You do all of this pretending. You're a very good actor actually. It's hard to tell when you're pretending and when you aren't."

"I know. It's part of being a Malfoy." He sighed, leaning up against the railing. "We do a lot of pretending."

"So how do I know you aren't pretending now?" She asked, leaning on the railing opposite him.

"You don't. I guess you just have to trust me." He smiled wryly, sticking his hands in his pockets.

The stood in silence for a while, before Hermione spoke up. "Draco can I see your arm?"

"No." She could almost see his walls go back up.

She took a step forward, reaching and taking his left hand. He pressed his lips together, looking pained. "You really don't want to do that." He said, but didn't stop her.

Hermione moved her hands up his pale skin and found his cuff, pushing it back until his entire forearm was visible. She paused, looking up to meet his stormy gray eyes. They weren't hostile, only tired and unbelievably sad. "Do it." He whispered.

She nodded, turning his arm over to expose the black mark beneath. It was like a scar, marring his perfect alabaster flesh with its dark swirling lines. "It's awful." She said before she could stop herself.

"I know." He replied, his eyes closed as if he couldn't bear to look at it.

She reached up, running her fingers over it. He shivered at the touch, goosebumps rising on his arm. "I'm so sorry Draco." She whispered, drawing back her hands and letting his arm fall back down to his side. A sudden awkwardness sprung up between them, and Hermione looked shyly down at the ground. "I- I better go. Slughorn might have assigned homework..."

"Of course." She turned away and was almost down the steps when a voice called her back.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?" She turned back to Draco. He looked almost angelic in the torchlight, like Lucifer, thrown down from heaven.

"Thankyou."

She smiled. "You're welcome, Draco." And she turned back toward the potions classroom, trying to ignore the butterflies frolicking in her stomach.

**xxx**  
**Reviewing makes me want to write more, faster. Remember that, kids.**


	5. Sectumsempra

**It's been a few days and for that I apologize. But hey! It's here now, right? Please review, I really appreciate it!**  
**xxx **

Hermione was walking down the corridor on her way back to the Gryffindor common room to do some studying when Ginny bounded up to her.

"Mione! Goodness, it's sure been a while. Where have you been hiding yourself? We haven't talked in ages." Hermione wanted to be mad at the bouncing redhead but despite her best efforts she ended up with an amused smile on her face. Ginny had that sort of effect on people.

"I've just been doing some studying for the upcoming O.W.L.s, you know how it is."

Ginny made a disapproving tsking noise. "Hermione you have months yet! Go out and have a little fun." The two girls entered the dining hall, sitting down at the table. It was a hours late for lunch so the table was deserted, but luckily there was a small bowl of fruit on the table for their enjoyment.

"I will." Hermione reached out for a banana, turning back to Ginny. "How's Harry?"

Ginny grinned deviously. "He's good. If you know what I mean."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't want to know, really. So any gossip I should know about?"

Ginny perked up, leaning towards Hermione conspiratorially. "Rumor has it that Draco Malfoy is in the hospital wing. They found him in the bathroom_ covered_ in blood. Apparently they've had to kick Pansy out five times today."

Hermione was instantly alert. "Is he ok?" She asked worriedly, wondering what on earth Draco was doing in a bathroom covered in blood. Had something happened to him? Or worse, had he taken a knife to himself? "What happened?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. I was talking to Dean, he was there when they found him, and he said it looked pretty bad. Like _really_ bad."

"Is he going to get better?" Asked Hermione, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably.

"Probably. He's such a drama queen about this stuff. So anyway, did you hear about Seamus?"

"No. I didn't." Hermione replied distractedly, her thoughts still on Draco. She had to go see him. They were almost friends now, that's what friends were supposed to do.

"-and apparently they've been snogging in the prefect's bathroom since the Yule Ball and no one even knew! Who would've thought, right?"

"Yeah. I had no idea."

The conversation between the two friends continued in this fashion for a few minutes, before Ginny finally threw up her hands. "Hermione are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, I guess I'm just tired. I was up late last night."

Ginny's face softened. "Well go take a nap then!" She gave Hermione a hug. "Go! I want you to be fun for the party tonight."

"Thanks Ginny. See you later." Said Hermione, hurrying out of the dining hall in the direction of the hospital wing. Hermione had absolutely no idea what she was going to do once she got there, all she knew was she wasn't going to get anything done if she though he'd gone and gotten himself killed.

She entered the silent hospital wing a few minutes later, her shoes echoing loudly on the cement floor. At first glance it seemed completely empty, but if one listened closely a light snoring could be heard coming from behind a curtain. Hermione crept tentatively forward, slowly pulling the screen back until she could see the cot it was hiding.

It the bed, his normally pale skin even paler than usual, was Draco Malfoy. He was lying on his side, the white sheets tangled up in his alabaster limbs. He wasn't wearing a shirt and she could see the hard contours of his shoulders and a deep red scar snaking down his chest.

She wondered what had caused such a wound. It couldn't have been an ordinary knife as it didn't seemed to have been healed very well with magic. Dark magic perhaps?

Hermione sat lightly on the bed next to him, praying that he wouldn't wake up. She needn't have worried though, judging by the bottle of sleeping draught at his bedside he would be asleep for a while.

She brought her legs up, moving so her back was pressed up against the wall, and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what she was doing or even why she hadn't just left after establishing that Draco wasn't dead, only that she didn't want to leave. It was peaceful Hospital Wing, quiet, pleasantly warm, and the entire room smelled slightly of peppermint.

Opening her eyes, she looked down at the sleeping boy next to her. She had never seen him look so at ease, his face devoid of his sneer and the worry lines that always creased his forehead. His pale blond hair was messy, sticking in all directions at once. Reaching out slowly she ran her fingers through it, trying to make it lie normally. At the moment, he bore quite a resemblance to a blond porcupine.

A soft chuckle coming from the bottom of the bed caused Hermione to jump about three feet in the air. Her head whipped up to see none other than Blaise Zabini smirking at her. "Fancy seeing you here, Granger. Come to have your way with the poor bastard while he's out for the count?"

She sprung off of the bed, blushing profusely. "I was just making sure he was ok." She replied indignantly, her hand already on her wand.

Blaise held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, it's cool, better you than Pansy, right?"

"I guess so." She let go of her wand uncertainly, looking back down at Draco. "He is ok, right?"

Blaise nodded. "He should be. He's going to wake up in a few minutes if you want to molest him a bit more before he wakes up."

"I wasn't molesting him! I was fixing his hair." Replied Hermione before she realized that Blaise was joking. She paused, assessing the overall weirdness of the situation. How exactly had she ended up in the Hospital Wing looking after Draco Malfoy and joking around with Blaise Zabini? If only Won-Won could see her now, he'd have a fit. Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find she didn't much care what he thought about her.

Blaise chuckled, smiling wickedly. "I know. So you like him...?"

"I do not! Besides, we would be an awful couple."

"So you've thought about it then."

"Never!" Hermione said vehemently. Sure, they were almost-friends, but that didn't change the fact that he was Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince, a pureblood, and a Death Eater to boot.

"He seems to like you well enough. I think it could work."

"No he doesn't. We're enemies." A bit of exaggeration, but Blaise wouldn't know that.

He smiled knowingly. "Draco's my best friend, Granger. I know what he does when he likes someone. And he likes you."

"No way."

"Hey can I call you Hermione? Since you and Draco..." He trailed off, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"There isn't anything at all between Draco and me. Really." Hermione protested, crossing her arms over her chest. Next to them the blond in question began to stir, the sleeping draught beginning to wear off. "I have to go, Zabini."

He smiled warmly at her, his eyes sparkling roguishly. "Please, call me Blaise, Hermione." Hermione sighed, picking up her bag and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Goodbye,_ Zabini_. There's a party in the common room tonight and I don't want to be late on account of your rudeness." She stalked out of the room and thought the door, leaving a grinning Blaise in her wake. He moved to sit down next to Draco.

"Wake up, mate." He paused, leaning closer to his friend. "Girls. Naked girls. Naked girls. Stripping."

Draco sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair. "Naked...? What?"

"Nothing. Just trying to get you up."

"Why? What happened, I don't remember-"

"Doesn't matter, mate. Now get up, we have a party to crash tonight and you aren't wearing any pants."

**xxx**  
**Oh the next chapter is going to be so much fun to write... ^.^**


	6. The Party

***looks guilty* Sorry for taking so long to update. Please don't hate me?**  
**xxx **

As a rule, Hermione didn't like parties. She usually spent them in a corner doing great quantities of nothing or trying to make sure Harry and Ron didn't do anything exceptionally stupid. With Ronnikins snogging Lav-Lav in a corner and Harry staring ardently into Ginny's eyes, Hermione was relegated to sitting by the fire and wondering if she could sneak off to her dorm without anyone noticing.

It wasn't that Hermione didn't like to have fun, more like her idea of fun wasn't grinding against some loser who'd had too much firewhiskey. Luckily it was dark in the common room, the only light coming from the flames and a strobe light that someone had rigged up in the corner, so no one could really see her enough to pay attention to her.

Something tugged at her hair and Hermione whipped around. Behind her stood two boys, their faces veiled by shadow. "Do you two need something?"

The first figure vaulted over the back of the couch, landing next to her with a lack of grace that suggested they weren't entirely sober. "Well you don't seem to be having all that much fun." He observed, righting himself and sitting down next to her.

Hermione nearly jumped out of her robes. "Malfoy what are you doing here? This is a Gryffindor party!"

Draco put a finger to her lips, shushing her. "Don't have a cow Granger, no one's noticed me."

"Well I have!" Why was he here? What the bloody hell was he doing in _her_ common room?

Another boy leapt over the couch to sit on her other side. "Oh Mione, don't be such a buzzkill." Blaise smiled, looking around. "You know you Gryffindors don't actually throw such bad parties. I'm impressed."

"Out."

Blaise smiled ebulliently, completely ignoring her comment. "Well there's a Gryffindor over there who looks like she might need some help getting up to her dorm, so I think I'll leave you two here. Be safe!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, leaning back against the maroon cushions. "Just for the record," Draco began primly. "This was by no means my idea. He dragged me here. There was screaming."

Hermione suppressed a smile, keeping her eyes firmly focused on the fire. "I'm sure."

"Aww come on Hermione don't you ever have any fun?" He asked, leaning up against her.

Hermione leaned away from him. "You're drunk."

Draco chuckled, turning his head so he was looking at her. "I am not drunk. Only slightly intoxicated."

"Oh good. Great."

Hermione fumed. This sort of the thing didn't used to happen to her.

"Ever tried firewhiskey, Granger?"

Hermione crossed her right leg over her left, taking a swig of butterbeer. "I'm going to pretend you aren't talking to me."

"You can pretend all you want, but it doesn't change the facts." Draco lay against her shoulder, his eyes closed. "I learned that the hard way."

Hermione sighed, looking down at him. He looked the same as he had in the Hospital Wing except he'd thrown on a wrinkled button up and some pants. She tugged her arm from where it was wedged between Draco and herself, laying it on the back of the sofa. Draco smiled, repositioning himself so his head was in her lap. "Granger, would you be a dear and remove my tie? It's positively strangling me."

"I'm not going to remove any of your clothing, not even if you get down on your knees and beg me." Hermione replied with a smirk of her own. There was something about Draco that wore down your defenses. Sure he was a death eater, and slightly psychotic one at that, but Hermione was a bit lacking in the friend department and he wasn't actually such bad company if you were in the mood for some verbal sparring.

He grinned deviously. "I'm sure begging could be arranged. If that's the sort of thing you're in to."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but before she could whip out a withering comeback a giggling voice cut her off. "Hey Hermione, who's your boyfriend?"

Hermione looked up and was met with the smiling face of Lavender Brown. Hermione felt dislike boil up in her stomach. She didn't hate Lavender for going out with Ron, she could have him for all she cared. She hated Lavender for taking her friends away from her. She still had Harry, but she had barely seen him since the Yule Ball, since he spent all of his time with Ginny or Ron.

Suddenly a conversation she'd had with Lavender and Parvati in fifth year came back to her and she grinned broadly, knowing exactly how to play this situation to her advantage. She used the hand that wasn't resting on the couch to play with the buttons on Draco's shirt. He'd had three undone when he and Blaise had come to the party, but Lavender didn't know that, which would work excellently to Hermione's advantage. "Oh hey Lavender! You know Draco, right?"

The look on her face was an amusing mixture of horror, confusion, and pure shock. Draco stretched and waved lazily at her. "Hello, um, Mione what's this chick's name?"

"I'm Lavender Brown."

He raised his eyebrows. "Ah, I remember. You're going out with Weaselbee right?" By this time a small crowd had gathered around the sofa, trying to get a piece of the action.

Lavender nodded shyly, looking at the moment like she'd rather be going out with the blond in front of her rather than the sour looking redhead clutching her hand. Draco sat up, hopping off the couch and holding his hands out for Hermione to take.

"Come on, Mione. I'm bored, let's get out of here."

Hermione smiled, taking his hands and pulling herself up. She meant to let go once she was up, but Draco was holding her right hand in a vice grip and Hermione wasn't in all that much of a hurry to pull it away.

"Bye!" Hermione waved cheerfully at the group, following Draco out into the hallway. Once they'd exited the common room, she doubled over laughing. "Oh god did you see Ron's face? It was hilarious!"

Draco chuckled, leaning up against the brickwork. "I can certainly see why he gets the ladies."

Hermione smiled, leaning up next to him. "Should we go back in a get Blaise?"

Draco shook his head. "I'm sure he's having plenty of fun without us. If you catch my drift."

"Ah."

"So did you see my scar?"

"No." Hermione lied. _Did that mean Blaise hadn't told him about my visit?_ She thought hopefully. Draco's ego was big enough as it was. "What happened?"

"Potter thought it would be fun to try out a fun little bit of dark magic on me." He said, examining his nails. "Lucky Severus was there I guess."

"Harry wouldn't!" _Unless it was that stupid potions book he'd found..._ "Oh I'm going to kill him!"

Draco smiled. "While that would be rather enjoyable to watch, I think Snape may have that taken care of that."

"Do you think Harry's ok?"

"What about me and my horribly disfiguring scar?" Asked Draco indignantly, holding open the collar of his shirt and pointing at red line snaking its way down his pale chest.

"You poor boy." Said Hermione sarcastically, patting him on the head. "So when can we go back inside? We can't stay out here after hours. It's against the rules."

"You and your rules, Granger. Why don't we go somewhere?"

"There isn't anywhere to go, we can't leave the grounds."

"I know a place." Draco grabbed her hand, tugging her down the hallway. "It isn't far."

"Malfoy we have classes tomorrow and I really don't-" Hermione began as he tugged her down the hall.

"Oh can it Granger, what's wrong with having a bit of fun every once in a while?"

"But Filch! And Ms. Norris! What if we get caught by one of the other prefects?" Hermione protested as they rounded another corner.

Draco just smiled, lacing his fingers between hers. A few minutes of racing through corridors brought them to the astronomy tower.

"Malfoy it's freezing up here." Hermione complained, her teeth chattering. "Look! I'm only wearing my button up. I don't even have my house scarf on. Why are we even up here?"

"Granger, has anyone ever told you that you talk far too much?" Asked Draco, leaning out over the railing.

"Once or twice." Hermione replied, moving to stand next to him.

"Look, it's Draco. And Sirius." Said Draco, pointing up into the starry blackness above. It was a remarkably clear night and there was no moon, so the stars were extraordinarily bright. "And over there is Cassiopeia."

Hermione smiled. "Someone paid attention during Astronomy."

"Nah. My father taught me all the stars. You know, before the war." There was a peculiar expression on Draco's face that Hermione had never seen before. He looked almost sad.

"I'm sorry."

Draco turned away from the railing so he faced Hermione. His cheeks were pink from the cold and his breath curled around his face like smoke. "I'm sorry too."

They stood in silence for a while after that, the quiet only broken by the hissing of the wind and a couple owls hooting overhead.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Hermione."

"Huh?"

"Dumbledore. I can't kill him. I can't do it. I don't know what I'm going to do." Draco sighed, covering his face with his hands and added more quietly. "I don't want to be a death eater anymore."

Hermione reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You don't have to. We can talk to Harry and he can help you."

"It's not that easy." There was an oddly crumpled look about him, the same one he'd been wearing when they'd sat together after the Yule Ball. It made Hermione want to take him in her arms and hold him until he felt better. But she didn't, because he was Draco Malfoy and she was just a mudblood. Still, she felt like she had to make him feel better, because it was her nature and she couldn't stand seeing anyone looking so forlorn.

"Draco, it is. The Order can help you. I'm sure if you tell them what's going on they can take you somewhere safe. Your family too! I'm sure-"

And suddenly Draco's lips were on hers, cutting her off mid sentence. Hermione froze for a moment, and then her arms were around his neck and she was kissing him back. She wasn't exactly sure when she'd made a conscious decision to do so, but at the moment she wasn't really sure about much of anything, except that Draco was kissing her and she wasn't punching him in the face.

And then he pulled back. "Shit." Draco put one hand up to his mouth, covering his lips with his fingers. "Shit. I'm sorry, I didn't- Oh God. I have to go." He turned, bolting from the Astronomy tower, leaving an astonished Hermione in his wake.

**xxx**  
**A kiss and LavenderxRon pwnage? Yay! Please Review. Please with sprinkles and Draco on top.**


	7. Last Name Basis

**It's short, but I hope you like it anyway.**  
**xxx **

When Hermione woke up the next morning, she was immediately ambushed by Parvati and Lavender. Evidently Lavender had told Parvati about her escapade with Draco, and by now, probably the rest of the school. When Hermione had pretended she was at the party with Draco she'd never intended it to go as far as it did, and she was now wishing she'd kicked out the irksome blond when she'd had the chance. Unfortunately, it was far too late for that now.

Lavender bounded over to where she was standing at the mirror, trying desperately to tame her mane of curly hair. "Are you and Draco really going out?" She asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Hermione sighed. "No."

Parvati appeared at her other side. "But you went to the party with him?"

"No. He just showed up."

"But then you left with him!"

"I just wanted to make sure he got back to his common room ok." Hermione lied, pulling her hair up into a bun at the back of her head instead of trying to make it lie normally.

"Did you kiss?" Pressed Lavender.

_Yes._ "No!"

"What does he taste like?" Added Parvati, leaning closer to Hermione conspiratorially.

_Firewhiskey and peppermint._ "We didn't kiss! We aren't even going out!" Hermione threw up her hands, practically sprinting from the bathroom. "I'm going down to breakfast. I'll see you two later."

On the way down to the Great Hall, Hermione felt as if all eyes were on her. Everyone knew, she was sure of it. Why on Earth had she thought befriending Draco was a good idea in the first place? He'd only led to heaps of trouble.

Hermione stepped inside the great candlelit room, walking over to the Gryffindor table as slowly as she feasibly could. She could see Ron, Harry, and Ginny all sitting in a little huddle on one side of the bench. She knew that all of them would have millions of questions for her about last night, none of which she cared to answer.

She turned to look over at the Slytherin table, and found it lacking a certain tall blonde. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were all sitting in their usual spots, but Draco was no where to be found. At a second glance, she saw Blaise, who, unfortunately, caught her eye and gave her a overdone wink that made Hermione wished she hadn't looked over in the first place.

She wondered where Draco was. She needed to talk to him, to tell him that last night was a big mistake, that she understood that he hadn't meant to kiss her, and that everything could just go back to normal.

And then she saw him, his pale blond head sticking out in a sea of brunettes and redheads. She watched his progress for a few moments before realizing a truly horrifying fact: he was heading directly towards her. She felt a sudden urge to hide under the nearest table, but she quashed it, mentally preparing herself for what was sure to be an awkward conversation.

Taking a deep breath, she cut through the throng of students, meeting him smack dab in the middle of the Great Hall. He looked even more disheveled than he had last night, and the bags under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept much more than she had. She wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse.

"Draco I-"

He held up a hand, cutting her off. "I'm sorry about last night, I'd had too much to drink and-."

"I agree completely. It was an accident, neither of us-"

"Of course. Hermione, it's not that I don't like you, but it was a mistake-"

She nodded heartily, feeling her cheeks begin to burn even as she spoke, the stares of her housemates boring holes in the back her head. "A mistake. We can pretend it never happened."

He looked down awkwardly at his shoes, looking almost bashful. Hermione didn't think she'd ever seen him look so very un-Malfoyish in her entire six and half years at Hogwarts. "I'm sorry I kissed you."

She smiled bravely, finding a sudden interest in a spot on the floor. "Let's just pretend it never happened."

"Like it never happened." He repeated, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"Exactly." Even as Hermione agreed, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, and she wondered if she was making the right decision. Draco wasn't so bad really, and with that business with Dumbledore, she'd been so close to getting him help...

But it would never work out between them, that much she knew. He'd said so himself not thirty seconds ago.

He looked up, meeting her brown eyes with his gray ones. For a moment, Hermione could swear that she saw sadness flicker across them, but then he smiled and stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"See you around then, Granger?"

She reached out and shook his hand, trying not to think about how just last night those same fingers had been laced through hers as he'd tugged her down a dark hallway...

She pasted on a smile of her own. "See you around, Malfoy."

And just like that, they were back on a last name basis.

**xxx**  
**Hear that? That's the sound of one-hundred Dramione fangirls screaming. Don't worry, this isn't the end kids.**  
**FYI: Reviewing makes me want to get to the end faster. (:**


	8. The Lightning Struck Tower

**Sorry guys. I would have updated sooner, but it turns out my boyfriend it a stupid cheating twat and I've been having a rather shitty week. Sorry. **  
**Anyway, I don't own a great bit of this, as it is a re-working of the HBP chapter by the same name. Much AU occurs. Enjoy(:**  
**xxx **

Hermione thought a lot about Draco Malfoy over the next couple of weeks, of the kiss they'd shared, the time she'd visited him in the Hospital Wing, when he'd come to the Gryffindor party, and when he'd let her touch the mark on his arm. They hadn't spoken about any of the incidents since the morning in the Great Hall, or about killing Dumbledore. They were just friends now, if that. Since their last morning together, Hermione had grown closer to Harry and Ginny and had gotten back on speaking terms with Ron, something she hadn't been sure would ever happen.

She debated telling them Malfoy's secret, but never had. There had been many nights sitting around the fire when the words had been on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't make herself say them. They weren't her secrets to tell.

She had been sitting by the fire with Ron thinking about just these things, when Harry came running up to them, his invisibility cloak balled up in his fists.

He came to a halt in front of them, his eyes wide and glasses all eschew. Breathing heavily, he told them that he was going to a cave with Dumbledore, and something about Horcruxes and Voldemort.

"... So you see what this means?" Continued Harry, shoving the Marauder's Map into Ron's hands. "Dumbledore won't be here tonight so Malfoy will have another clear shot at whatever it is that he's up to. You've got to watch him and watch Snape too, they're both deatheaters. Use anyone else you can rustle up from the D.A., Hermione, those contact Galleons still work, right?"

She nodded, trying to feign surprise at this new revelation about Draco. At least the worry on her face could be played off purely as concern for Harry.

"But Malfoy isn't a-" Interrupted Ron, unfolding the map in his lap.

Harry glared at him, his eyes darting towards the door. "Yes he is, and he's up to something, I know it." He looked down at the pair of socks in his hands then shoved them into Hermione's lap. "Here, take these."

"Socks, Harry? Now?" She asked, holding them away from her self with her forefinger and thumb.

He nodded. "You need what's wrapped up in them. It's Felix Felicius. Share it between yourselves and Ginny too. I have to go... Dumbledore's waiting for me..."

"Harry no!" Hermione exclaimed, shoving the bundle back towards him.

He shook is head. "I'm going to be with Dumbledore. I'll be fine. Say goodbye to Ginny for me," He stood up, starting for the door. "And be careful!"

Hermione turned to Ron, handing him the contact Galleon she always kept in her pocket. "You know how to work these, right?"

"Well- Yeah- Hermione, what?" He stuttered, taking the coin from her.

"Listen, I need you to watch the map and get all the willing D.A. members together." She stuck her hand into the sock, pulling out the small golden vial. "Here, drink a little, I have to go."

He accepted the bottle from her, taking a sip of the golden liquid. "But Hermione where are you going?"

She ignored his question. "Ginny? GINNY WHERE ARE YOU?"

The redhead bounded down the stairs, hair flying behind her. "Hermione? What is it?"

"It's Harry. He's off being heroic again." Hermione shoved the vial at her. "Have a little of this."

Ginny did as she was told and handed the vial back. There was barely any left now, just enough for maybe two more swallows. "Ron will explain everything to you. I have to go."

Hermione ran back over to the couch where Ron sat, ignoring the curious stares of her housemates. She knelt by his side, turning the Marauder's Map so it was facing her. Little black dots swarmed across the parchment each with a small black name underneath, but none the one she was looking for.

"Hermione what the bloody-"

"Ron. Shut up."

Ron crossed him arms indignantly but Hermione ignored him, continuing to scan the map in earnest. "Dammit." She muttered, standing up quickly. "Ron, I have to go. Take care of everyone. Be safe."

She ran out of the common room and to the first flight of stairs, running faster than she had in her entire life and taking the stairs two at a time until she reached the seventh floor. She was nearly there when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Granger what on Earth do you think you're doing? This is a school, not a race track."

Hermione whirled. "Sorry, Professor McGonagall."

"Could you come with me for a moment, Granger?"

_NO NO NO NO._ "Yes, Professor."

The Head of Gryffindor beckoned Hermione down the hallway, leading her all the way to her office. Professor McGonagall sat down with careful slowness, crossing her hands on the desk.

"Is this about my running?" Began Hermione, trying to quell her urge to bolt for the door. "Because I really have to-"

"No, Miss Granger, although you should not be running in the hallways. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about for a long time, but have just never had the chance."

Hermione felt uneasy. "Am I in trouble, Professor?"

McGonagall laughed. "Goodness no. Quite the opposite actually. I believe that you may be able to graduate early, or at least be able to take a free period for independent study given your use of the time turner and how many extra classes you've taken, you have enough credits."

Normally, Hermione would have been positively thrilled to talk about her academics and the possibility of an extra independent study period. Tonight, she had more important things on her mind than school work. She was nearly positive that if Draco was going to do something idiotic, this was going to be the night. Despite the fact that they weren't extremely close anymore, she felt it was her job to make sure he was ok.

"Professor I really should go, I have things I need to do..."

"Are you sure it can't wait Miss Granger." She asked, looking sternly at Hermione from over the rims of her glasses.

Well he couldn't kill Dumbledore if he wasn't back at the school, surely she had a little bit of time...

Forty-five minutes later she emerged from Professor McGonagall's office with the feeling that something was very, terribly wrong.

Looking around for teachers first this time, Hermione broke into a run, sprinting up the last bit of stairs and to entrance of the Room of Requirement. One there, she realized she had no idea how to get it. Pressing her ear to the door, she listened for sounds inside, but heard only silence. So he wasn't in there. Dumbledore's office perhaps?

She took off a run again, sprinting up to Dumbledore's office. "Lemon drop." She said to the gargoyle, bouncing on the balls of her feet in impatience. The gargoyle moved sleepily, yawning. "Lemon drop, lemon drop, Lemon drop!"

"Patience is a virtue." It said as it slowly opened. Hermione scampered through the doorway and into the Headmaster's Office.

"Dumbledore? Draco? Anyone here?" No sound came from the empty room. "Hello?"

Hermione reached into her pocket her unease growing. She cursed herself for spending so long with Professor McGonagall. How hard would it have been for her to make up some kind of excuse? Uncapping the potion, she swallowed half of the remaining liquid. All she needed was a little bit of luck.

For a moment, Hermione thought the potion hadn't worked, when suddenly she began to feel light and buoyant, like she couldn't possibly do anything wrong. She suddenly felt an overwhelming need to go to the Astronomy Tower and turned, nearly skipping out of Dumbledore's office, the gargoyle on the door calling after to her to slow down.

Soon, she began to hear yelling and the sounds of things breaking. Feeling her heart pick up its pace, she raced up a last flight of stairs and straight into the heart of the battle.

It was dark, but she could make out a slew of Order members and a few Death Eaters she recognized. But where was Draco? Surely he was close by.

Hermione pulled out her wand and began to fight her way through the chaos. It was hard at first and Hermione was terrified she was going to get hit, but it soon became clear that all the curses were missing her completely. She mentally thanked Harry for sharing the Felix Felicius, though she hadn't wanted him to at first.

Dodging a flailing death eater, Hermione hurried up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, stopping only when she heard Draco's voice.

"But I got this far, didn't I?" He asked slowly, his voice shaking but defiant. "They though I'd die in the attempt but I'm here..."

Hermione crept father around until she could see him, see Dumbledore laying against the wall, Draco with his quivering wand pointed at the old man.

She'd come too late.

xxx  
I hope you enjoyed it. Please review, it really does mean a lot(:


	9. Avada Kedavra

**Things I should be doing: AP World Homework **  
**Things I am doing: Dramione Fanfiction**  
**Well I'd like to say that any dialogue that sounds like it was written by JK Rowling WAS written by JK Rowling and is therefore NOT MINE. Thanks.**  
**xxx **

Draco continued, his voice dropping to barely more than a whisper. "You're in my power... I'm the one with the wand... You're at my mercy..."

Hermione was torn, torn between the need to run out and tackle-hug Draco the urge to snatch his wand away and ask him what the bloody hell he thought he was doing.

She took a small step back from the scene in the fear that perhaps she shouldn't be here at all, when she kicked a small rock sending it skittering across the floor. Hermione barely stopped a swear from escaping her lips, her eyes darting over to Dumbledore. Luckily, the old wizard seemed not to have heard, his eyes never straying from the blond boy in front of him. The blond boy who was looking directly at her.

If he had looked panicky and stricken before, it was nothing compared to his current expression, which was something akin to someone who had swallowed a very lively barrel of weasels.

Hermione scoured her brain for something to do, something she could possibly say to him, but she was fresh out of ideas. It was all she could do to just stand and stare.

"No, Draco," Dumbledore said, still apparently oblivious to Hermione's presence. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."

Draco opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. He looked over to where Hermione was standing and slowly, almost imperceptibly, began to lower his wand.

Hermione reached out toward him with her right hand, willing him to take it.

Draco looked down at it, his expression one of pure terror. "Hermione, I don't know what to do."

"Let me help you." She replied, striding out into the moonlight and taking his hand in hers, the one not holding the wand. "Please."

"If I may," interrupted Dumbledore, from where he was slumped against the wall. "I'd like to suggest that you two come to a decision rather quickly. I don't expect the rest of the Death Eaters will be absent for too much longer."

Hermione turned to Dumbledore. "The Order can hide his family can't they? They'll keep him safe?"

Dumbledore coughed softly, his half moon glasses beginning to slip down his nose. "If Draco wishes for our protection then he may have it." He looked pointedly at Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, the time for decision making would be now."

Draco looked as if he'd forgotten the power of speech. He opened his mouth. "I just-" He was interrupted by a pounding on the astronomy tower door. He whirled, eyes wide. "_They're here_."

"Draco come with me we can-"

The pounding increased. "I'm sorry, Hermione. It's too late for me." He smiled ever so slightly, reaching down to brush a curl away from her face. "I'll be ok."

In that moment Hermione made a snap decision. The sort of snap decision that seems like a really good idea while your doing it but usually results in bad things and overall angst. She threw her arms around Draco's neck and kissed him roughly on the lips.

She drew back, darting to her hiding place and trying to figure out exactly what she had just done. Meanwhile, Draco was standing immobile, an expression of pure awe on his face. Leaning up against the wall, Dumbledore let out a chuckle.

"Mr. Malfoy if you would point your wand at me, I do believe that the Death Eaters about to burst through the door would take a more favorable view of the situation."

Draco nodded and raised his wand, still looking a bit shell shocked. The door banged open, revealing a small group of Death Eaters.

"Dumbledore cornered!" Said a small pudgy one, turning to a witch with a similar build and the same leering smile. "Dumbledore wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!"

"Good evening, Amycus." Dumbledore greeted the wizard, smiling serenely. "I see you've brought Alecto as well... Charming..."

The woman jeered, waving her wand all about. "Think your little jokes will save you on your deathbed then?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Jokes? No, no these are manners."

Amycus sneered at the old man. "Kill him Draco."

Draco didn't move, looking as if he wished that he'd taken Hermione up on her offer to help.

"Draco do it now. Quickly!" Added another Death Eater, appearing at his shoulder. Draco, who was a generally a pale person, was the color of a sheet, and his wand was shaking so badly that Hermione wasn't sure he would be able to aim it well enough to hit the man even if he wanted to.

"Draco, do it or stand aside so one of us-" screeched Alecto, her face growing red with agitation. She was interrupted by the entrance of Snape. He looked dangerous in the starlight, ever more frightening than usual, his wand drawn and black robes billowing behind him.

"We've got a problem, Snape," said Amycus, his own wand pointed at Dumbledore. "the boy doesn't seem to be able-"

Softly, almost inaudibly, another voice spoke, causing Amycus to fall silent.

"Severus..."

Hermione shivered at the sound, feeling suddenly afraid. She'd never been as close to Dumbledore as Harry had been, but hearing him like this, pleading with the Head of Slytherin send chills down her spine.

Snape's head snapped toward Dumbledore, his expression one of unfeeling hatred.

"Severus please..."

Snape raised his wand and pointed it straight at Dumbledore.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

Bright green light snaked from the tip of Snape's wand, embedding itself in Dumbledore's chest, the force of the blast throwing him into the air. He seemed to hang there for a moment, suspended in the night, before he fell backwards out of the astronomy tower and out of sight.

For a moment, no one seemed to move, before Amycus's cackling laughter split the silence. "Look at old Dumby now! Dead as a doornail!"

Snape looked at him disparagingly. "Out of here, quickly. Come on, Draco."

He swept out the door, the rest of the Death Eaters trailing after him. All except for Draco, who was staring at the place Dumbledore had disappeared, an expression of utter horror on his face.

Hermione slowly stood up, not sure whether or not to approach him. Why on Earth had she kissed him? What was it about that stupid boy that made her throw all logic out the window?

Draco turned, looking directly at her. "Hermione?"

She stepped out of the shadows, not meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry about earlier, Dra- Malfoy. I don't know what I was doing. I panicked..."

He scoffed. "Stop it. You knew what you were doing." He stepped forward, sticking his wand in his pocket and taking her shoulders in his hands. "And you don't have to call me Malfoy."

Hermione sighed unevenly, wishing she had the willpower to twist away from him. "Draco, please."

"Hermione, when I kissed you it wasn't a mistake." He said roughly, his face alarmingly close to hers. "I'll probably be dead tomorrow, but I just wanted you to know, okay?"

She nodded, tears welling up her eyes. Tears for Dumbledore, tears for Draco, and tears for herself and all the things she didn't want to be feeling and yet still was.

He leaned down slowly, capturing her lips once more with his own. It was a different kind of kiss than the ones they'd shared perviously, gentler and yet much scarier. Hermione's eyes slipped closed and she let herself fall into his arms, trying desperately to forget that just meters away people were fighting, maybe even dying.

He pulled back, looking as if it were the last thing he wanted to do. He opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione cut him off, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a bottle of Felix Felicius. "Drink this. It's liquid luck."

He took it, swallowing the last mouthful and handing the vial back to her. "Hermione after tonight, I don't-"

She cut him off. "It doesn't matter what happens. Just don't forget what I said." She leaned up, kissing him chastely on the lips.

He nodded, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I won't forget." he said softly. "I'll never forget." Reluctantly, he turned racing out of the Astronomy Tower and down the stairs into the heat of battle.

Hermione stared after him, not turning until she heard someone behind her. She whirled, and came face to face with Harry Potter, and expression on his face that can only be described as hurt, that was quickly turning to fury.

**xxx**  
**I hope you enjoyed it and that you feel compelled to review. It makes me want to write faster(: **


	10. Coward

**This one's short and not all that good. The next one will be better, pinky promise!**  
**xxx **

"What the hell was that?" He asked, striding toward where Hermione stood, his green eyes flashing. "Dumbledore's dead and you're snogging Malfoy? Malfoy?

Hermione blanched, her mind still reeling from the events of the last few minutes. "Harry-"

"Hermione what's gotten into you? He's a death eater! He tried to kill Dumbledore! He would have!"

"No he wouldn't have. You saw, he was lowering his wand." Hermione said quietly, not sure why she was defending him. Harry was right, he wasn't a good person and any bad things that had happened to him had been brought on him by himself. He had refused her offer to give him protection, she'd done all she could for him.

Harry threw up his hands. "Why are you defending him! Hermione what is wrong with you? He may have lowered his wand but that doesn't automatically make him a good person!"

"I know." She replied, looking over at the window Dumbledore had fallen through. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I certainly don't have any idea." Said Harry, sounding distressed about the whole thing.

Hermione reached for his hand, taking it in hers in a sisterly gesture of affection. "I'm sorry Harry. About everything."

Harry didn't respond, only turning to follow her gaze outside, the eerie green light of the dark mark casting his face in jade. Taking a deep breath he seemed to stand up a little straighter, drawing strength from the very air around them. "I'm going to kill Snape, Hermione."

She turned to look at him. "Harry you can't. If you kill him you'll be just as bad as them."

"It doesn't matter. He doesn't deserve to live." He said, his voice gaining venom as he spoke.

Hermione sighed. "You're only going to get yourself hurt don't-"

He cut her off. His voice, which seemed to have been getting calmer was rising. "I have to catch Snape, okay? He killed Dumbledore. It wasn't even a fair fight. That coward! After all Dumbledore did for him, defending him he kills him!" He turned to her, his eyes narrowed. "I have to do this. I have to." Letting go of her hand he raced from the room, leaving Hermione to stand alone in the astronomy tower.

A crash came from the battle below and Hermione turned, slowly made her way down the stairs and into the chaos below. It felt like she was moving through honey, her mind stuck in a fog that didn't really comprehend the situation at hand. It felt like the world had been turned on its side; nothing made any sense at all.

"Hermione! Hermione help! It's Bill!" She turned to see Ginny, who was holding what must have been her brother's body by the shoulders. It was hard to tell as his face was a mess of bloody gashes, and Hermione couldn't tell if he was breathing. Fighting past the tired haze permeating her brain she ran over to where Ginny crouched, squatting down next to her.

"What happened?" She yelled over the cacophony of battle.

"It was Greyback!" Ginny said, sounding remarkably composed. "He needs to get to the hospital wing."

Forcing all thoughts of Draco and Dumbledore from her mind, Hermione made herself comprehend, pointing her wand at Bill's immobile body. "Levicorpus." He lifted up slowly, until he was floating about a foot above their heads. Hermione turned to Ginny. "I'll take him to the hospital, you go find Harry."

Ginny nodded, setting her jaw. "Where is he?"

"He's outside I think. He would've..." She sighed, spitting the words out like a curse. "Dumbledore's dead. He's lying in the grass outside of the astronomy tower. You'll probably find Harry there."

"Oh god." Ginny put a hand to her mouth. "Is he okay?"

Hermione shook her head. "Of course not."

"Thank you, Hermione. Be careful, okay?" She took one last look at her brother and turned, racing out of the room and down the stairs.

Hermione watcher her leave before slowly guiding Bill out of the room and into the hallway, keeping her focus on his floating form as she walked slowly and carefully to the hospital wing.

As soon as she opened the doors, she was intercepted by Madame Pomfrey who relegated Hermione to a chair by the door.

She sat down on the uncomfortable wood, resting her elbows on her knees and closing her eyes against the cool white light of the infirmary. It appeared as if the effects of the small does of felix felicius she'd taken had worn off completely. She felt as if she couldn't do anything right.

Sighing deeply, she tried to get her thoughts straight. Harry had been right about Snape, right about him being loyal to Voldemort. And about Draco, he wasn't ever any good. Why had she kissed him anyway? That was what, the third time now? She blamed her actions on the felix felicius, stupid luck potion wasn't so lucky after all.

A tap on her shoulder tugged her from her musings, and she looked up into the face of Madame Pomfrey. She smiled ever so slightly, wiping her hands on her white apron. "He's alive. Bill's going to make it."

Hermione smiled. Finally, a bit of good news.

**xxx**  
**Review. It motivates me! :D (and if you're nice, I'll throw in a cookie) **


	11. Never

**Long chapter because I spent all of yesterday playing in the snow instead of updating(:**  
**xxx **

Draco Malfoy lay on his back, the darkness of his room enveloping him like a cocoon. It was cold and drafty, and yet he wore nothing but his school uniform, torn and dirty from the events of the day.

He knew that Voldemort himself was laying in his parent's bedroom, sleeping, if the Dark Lord even slept. Draco sat up ever so slowly, his battered body protesting with every movement. He knew that everyone had expected him to fail, but that had not lessened his punishment. He was supposed to have died.

It could have been worse, he supposed. Much worse. That was not to say that it hadn't been awful. There were bruises across his right cheekbone, down his pale arms and all over his body, but his mind had held. Voldemort hadn't found out about her. He never would.

The thought of Hermione made his stomach turn uncomfortably. He'd kissed her back on the Astronomy Tower. He'd allowed himself to be taken in by her mudblood charms and promises of redemption.

And yet he'd protected her, shielded his mind to keep her safe from the Dark Lord's wrath. He told himself that he was doing it for himself, because if anyone knew he'd been fraternizing with the enemy it would mean unsavory consequences for him and his family. He didn't know what to think anymore.

Draco sat up slowly, clenching his teeth in pain. He'd forgotten how much the cruciatus curse hurt, how the pain would hit at first like a wall, bowling you over and making you scream until your voice was gone. How then it would intensify, and you would forget how to scream, you'd forget everything but the incredible agony of it all.

Draco's mind flashed to his sitting room, where he was taken to meet the Dark Lord not three hours earlier. He'd been punished by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Called a coward, nothing better than a mudblood.

He'd taken it all, not because he was too afraid to fight back, but because there wasn't anything left for him to do, no route of escape. It hadn't all been abuse of course, Draco was the one that had gotten them into the school and allowed them to kill Dumbledore. The Dark Lord had even deigned to touch him on the shoulder, telling him he wasn't 'a complete disgrace to his bloodline.' Somehow that was no better than being cursed.

Draco was jerked from his memory by a soft knock at his door. He wondered who had come to humiliate him this time, who wanted to rub his continued inadequacy in his face? His father perhaps, believing that smacking him across the face in front of all his little Death Eater Buddies just wasn't enough? His mother, come to not look him in the eye some more?

Whoever it was knocked again, this time a little louder than before. "Draco?"

The voice was soft and feminine, though Draco didn't recognize it. It didn't sound like a house elf, though he couldn't think of any female in the house who would knock nicely and didn't call him Draco, except for maybe his mother, though it didn't sound like her voice. He pushed all thoughts of her from his head, trying to erase the memory of the her face falling as he got his mark, the sadness that shone in her eyes every time his father left on urgent Death Eater business.

"Mr. Malfoy are you there, I have-"

"What do you want?" He asked, albeit rather more sharply than was probably required.

The doorknob turned and the door opened, a short, dark haired witch stepping through, a tea cup levitating above her head. She walked slowly over to where he lay, her eyes canvassing his battered frame.

"Not so pretty anymore, am I?" He said bitterly, casting his eyes at the ceiling.

"Your mother thought you'd like some tea." She said, ignoring his comment, letting the cup float down onto his bedside table.

"Don't be stupid. She hates me."

The girl shook her head. "She doesn't. She'd afraid for you."

If Draco wasn't sore all over, he would have gotten up and thrown something. "Please leave."

"She told me to make sure you were okay. I don't really think-"

He squeezed his eyes shut, replying with as much venom as he could muster. "Do I look okay to you?"

"No."

He sat up, ignoring his discomfort. "Well I am, alright? First Hermione, and then you have to come snooping around! I don't even know you!"

She tilted her head to the side. "Granger?"

Draco suddenly realized what he'd done, and abruptly clammed up. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."

The girl nodded slowly. "I'm Astoria Greengrass."

He nodded curtly. He remembered her from his school years, the slightly prettier, less annoying version of her sister Daphne. "Anything else?"

Astoria seemed to hesitate, before leaning in and kissing him on the top of the head. She rocked back on her heels, clasping her hands behind her back. "Your mum told me to give you that too."

She turned on her heel, closing the door with a small snap. Draco leaned back against the wall with a groan, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, Hell."

He picked up the mug, a particular piece of the previous conversation, the point moments ago when he'd let Hermione's name slip. After keeping his secret from the Dark Lord he couldn't even keep it from a stupid girl.

_"Granger?" _

_ "Nothing. It doesn't matter." _

He sighed, focusing his gaze on the corner where two walls met the ceiling. It did matter. It mattered terribly.

In all of his privileged life he'd never had anyone who'd actually fought for him, who'd listened to him and let him be weak. His mother had been there of course, but he couldn't tell her everything. In the end she was what his father wanted her to be, a quiet, demure pureblood wife.

He could never tell Hermione what she'd meant to him. It was too difficult, with his parents and the war, it was better that he forget they'd ever meant anything to each other. He wasn't going to allow her to capture his attention anymore, and the next time he got the urge to kiss her he wasn't going to. Because he didn't really want to. Because he never really loved her.

Hermione spent the next few days holed up in the library, her nose buried in whatever book she could get her hands on. Lessons had been canceled, though Hermione would have been glad for the distraction. Harry hadn't told anyone about what had happened between her and Draco and they hadn't discussed it, thought it hung between the two of the like a weight.

The date for Dumbledore's funeral hadn't been set yet, and Hermione was dreading it. It was just another reminder of that awful night. She could still remember how his lips felt on hers, how his hands held her waist and the way his hair fell in front of his eyes. It was terrible.

This morning, she'd decided to move her reading outside, and was occupying a bench by the lake, the sun a welcome change from the dimly lit library. She was nearly finished with an interesting novel about a gypsy girl and a prince, when a large gray owl perched on her shoulder. It bent down and nibbled slightly on her ear, sticking out it's leg.

Hermione transported the owl to the side of the bench, taking the note from it's proffered limb. Leaning back against the bench, she unrolled the parchment, wondering who had sent the letter. She didn't recognize the handwriting, but a after reading the first few line the sender became abundantly clear.

Dear Granger,

I hope you understand that when I kissed you a few nights ago it was merely a act of careless irrationality. In my distress it is possible that I was not in full command of my actions. I am sure that you feel the same way as I, and that the Felix Felicius addled our senses, and that it would be in both of our best interests to forget this little incident and move on with our lives.

Please don't worry about me, and don't reply to this letter. It will only add needless complications to an already complicated matter.

Take care,

Malfoy.

Hermione stared at the parchment for a long time, trying to figure out if she wanted to smile or start crying. She pressed her lips together, forcing her brain to think rationally. He was a pureblood, and she was nothing more than a muggle-born. _Mudblood._ She thought bitterly.

Their entire relationship was comprised of careless acts of irrationality. It hadn't meant anything.

She stood up, ripping the paper straight down the middle, then again and again until his letter was nothing more than shreds of confetti sprinkled around her feet.

She picked up her book and walked smilingly back to the castle, pushing any feelings she might have had for Draco Malfoy away.

It was just a careless act of irrationality.

**xxx**  
**Oh no! Not again! Alright, question for all of you: Do you want A. it to end here, all denial-y and heartbroken, B. for them to both move on and end up being kinda friends (DracoxAstoria HermionexRon) or C. HAPPY CHEESY DRAMIONE ENDING!  
Review so I know you're still with me!**


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